Deco reveals how Barcelona will deal with Gavi injury absence
- Barcelona's Gavi expected to miss rest of season through injury
- Midfielder tore ACL and damaged mensicus on Spain duty
- Sporting director Deco has discussed the club's plans to replace him
By Sean Walsh
Barcelona sporting director Deco has admitted it would be impossible to replace the injured Gavi in the transfer market and played down speculation the club will look to bring in a new midfielder in January.
Gavi's 2023/24 season is likely over after he tore his ACL and damaged his meniscus during Spain's 3-1 win at home to Georgia in Euro 2024 qualifying on Sunday.
Reports claim that Spain are hesitant to even call up Gavi again until 2025 after angering Barcelona by playing him in dead-rubber fixtures. Barca, however, are also guilty of overworking the 19-year-old, with the midfielder featuring in 111 of the 121 games they've played since he made his debut in 2021.
With Gavi now set for a prolonged spell on the sidelines, Barcelona have been tipped to try and bring in a temporary replacement during the January transfer window, with Liverpool's Thiago Alcantara and Tottenham Hotspur's Giovani Lo Celso among the midfielders linked with a move to Catalonia.
But speaking to EFE, Deco insisted there are no plans to directly replace Gavi with a new signing.
"Today, Gavi is a player who cannot be replaced. There is no player available on the market to do his job, neither with his mentality, nor with his ability," Deco said.
"Discussing about replacing Gavi is a mistake; it is a mistake to think that we are going to find a player to replace him. We will not find him.
"We are not going to go crazy with Gavi's injury. It is sad for him, for us as a club, but we will not find a replacement.
"We are very sad, but I am sure that he will come back strong, he will recover. He is a young kid who has incredible strength, and what we are going to do is help him come back strong, taking whatever time it takes to recover. That is the most important thing."
Barcelona return to La Liga action without Gavi on Saturday with a trip to Rayo Vallecano. In Gavi's immediate absence, Barca are likely to have Pedri and Frenkie de Jong back in contention.
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